Nightmare Come True
by Nick the Raccoon
Summary: Chapter 4: Nightmare Come True. Nack plays Fang for the police but once again gets screwed. Eh... I don't wanna spoil it for ya... just R&R plz!


Nightmare Come True By Nick "frwl" Byrd  
  
Yo y'all! This is chapter four of my fanfic. If you would divide the entire fanfic up into three or four parts, this would be the beginning of part two. Nack's life is about to change...again, but in a good way.. Or lets just hope.!  
  
Nack T. Weasel is copywrite to Service and Games (aka SEGA). Nic T. Weasel is copywrite to Archie. Calia Pembroke is copywrite to Daisy, or LuckyLadybug66. and so are all the Whipped Cream Avengers. Crystal Ka is copywrite to Miss Heather, or Sonic Rose. Nicholas, Marcus Anderson and James Anderson are copywrite to me, along with those two foxes and that jailer dude and anyone else who seems pointless who I can't quite remember their names.... Be sure to read the outro of this document for additional credits! Shall we start?  
  
Nack sat back as he slowly biked down the streets of the city. He was happy and rightfully so. That must have been the very easiest bountyhunt he had gone on in a long time... and for the amount of effort he had put into it, he sure got paid well. Infiltrate a small corporate building downtown after-hours, avoid some laser tripswitches, break into someone's desk, steal an old photo album... Nothing could be easier. Nack's employer must have been rich too. He gave the old man the album, waited for him to finish looking through it (while showing the weasel a few pictures and telling some weird story and shedding the occasional tear), and took the money. Five thousand $100 bills was a good chunk of money.  
Nack's stomach growled up at him. It was only then that he stopped to think of it; it had been over a day since he had last eaten. That was usually the way things went when he had to do an overnight mission, and when he pulled one off, he would usually celebrate by finding a halfway decent place to eat. It didn't take long for him to find a place either.  
It was a nice little restaurant, the Moonlit Diner, not too classy or too dumpy. Nack walked up to the counter and was about to call for a menu, but something was about to happen that would make him lose his appetite.  
It was a scream... a woman's scream of pure shock. Nack spun around to see what was happening, but the first thing to catch his eye wasn't a lady, but a rough looking rat standing in the doorway with a revolver pointed down the room. "Dis aughta teach Joey not to mess wit teh baws," he let out in a gangster's voice. Nack jumped behind the counter and pulled out his stungun, ready if the guy came after him. But that didn't happen. Three loud blasts rang through the room...then the sound of the door closing. Nack looked over the counter to see the rat running away. Then he cast a glance to the rest of the restaurant to see the thing he didn't want to see. The woman... if she wasn't dead yet, it wouldn't be long.  
What kind of cold-hearted fiend would do such a thing? Why would anyone shoot an innocent woman? Nack felt these questions quickly burn his heart and he leapt over the counter in full chase of the murderer. As he burst through the door, he saw the rat halfway down the block getting into a black car. Nack was glad he had parked his jetbike in front of the diner... He wouldn't let the assassin get away.  
One second Nack was getting seated on the bike and starting the engine, the next he was after the car. It wasn't much of a chase; Nack's bike was by far faster and more maneuverable than the car. Nack knew that ramming the car wouldn't work, so he raised his altitude and got directly over it. He pointed his stunner at the hood of the car and fired a few shots. The electrical pulses quickly forced the car into a stall. Nack slowed down and waited for the vehicle in front of him to come to a stop.  
Nack got up and stood poised for action, gun pointed at the car. "Get out!" He yelled. No response. "Get out!"  
The car door slowly opened, and the rat's left paw raised itself in the air. "Don' shoot... my arm, I'm hurt!"  
Nack could tell something was up. "Throw the gun on the ground!" Nack yelled. The rat simply got out of the car, back turned to Nack, left arm high and right arm not showing. "The gun!" Nack snarled.  
The rat quickly turned and held out his right arm... the revolver in his hand. The gun fired. Nack ducked down and to the left just in time; the bullet gave him a nice clean shave on his neck. Nack returned fire, the pulse hitting the revolver's barrel. The rat yelped out in pain and dropped the gun. He reeled for a few seconds in his pain before he tried looking back up at Nack. "Why you..." was the only thing he managed to say because right then he ate a leather and metal knuckle-sandwich..  
A day later, Nack found himself sitting at a small wooden table, opposite the city sheriff. "Well Fang," the man started with an odd mixture of tones: respect mixed with disrespect, "Looks like for once your on the right side of things in my eyes." He paused to stroke his beard. "It took some doing, but we learned quite a bit by interrogating that rat."  
"Who is he and why did he do it?" Nack questioned in a soft tone. The weasel wasn't the purest soul on Mobius; he had knocked off a good number of people in his profession. But in times like these, he seemed to have a different heart, compassionate, caring. Nack wanted more than answers, he wanted some sort of chance for revenge for the woman. And that was what Nack was just about to get.  
"His name's Peter Jacobson. You and him aren't too different; he was an assassin for a crime syndicate." That grated Nack's nerves. It was those like him who reminded the weasel who he really was, as if the jobs and their outcome weren't enough. "The person who sent him out is named Marcus Anderson."  
"WHAT?" Nack practically yelled. "Not Marcus 'Titan' Anderson?!"  
The sheriff raised an eyebrow. "Yes. You... know him?" he asked in a skeptical tone.  
Boy did Nack know him... How long had it been? 8, 10 years ago? He could remember that day oh-so well...  
  
Nack was only a teenager, but even then he was up to no good. He entered the warehouse nervously. Eyes of bodyguards from all corners of the room beat on him, but he had to be strong, act tough. He stepped up to the desk of the Titan and placed the large suitcase on it's top.  
Titan opened it and pulled out a single diamond and looked it over for a few seconds before replacing it. Even though the boss was shrouded in the shadow, Nack could feel his hard stare boring holes in his skull. "Excellent job my boy."  
Nack took off his hat and bowed his head almost in a form of reverence. "Thank you."  
"I didn't really think you could do it at your age," the voice came again. "However, you proved me wrong."  
The young weasel didn't know what to say to this. He nodded his head again. "Thank you."  
"You have a special skill in your hunting that is hard to come by nowadays," Titan began again, throwing Nack the second half of his pay for the diamonds. "You are now one of my men." He said this almost as if he were giving the weasel a gift.  
But Nack didn't see it that way. "No... I can't-"  
"Why not?" The voice had a strange power in it this time. It was hard to interpret, but it sounded like anger.  
"I...I'm a freelance hunter..." Nack started, nervous again.  
"You are a fool."  
Nack placed his hat back on but kept his head bowed. "Sorry to disappoint you."  
"Glib little brat." The voice was an intense whisper now. "Get out of my sights."  
Nack stood silent for a second longer, then turned and slowly started walking for the door. He had a bad feeling... Nack shot a glance over his shoulder. The Titan was pointing at the door... no... At him. He picked up the pace and looked back again. One of the suited thugs was following him and had his hand in his vest.  
Nack turned to the door and ran as fast as his two legs could carry him. A second before he got past the threshold, the searing pain of the laser shot through his right shoulder. The young hunter jumped and yelped out in pain, but he continued running. He mounted his small jetbike and flew off. He didn't care where he would go... He had to get away from them. Tears of pain and fright clouded his vision. What would happen next....  
He spent the rest of that week alone in a small forest about forty miles from the city. It was a life-changing experience. Fear was felt in his heart and it was a feeling that he would learn from. It wasn't that he would truly fear those who had more power than he; it told him that he just couldn't trust anyone in this world. It would take a lot to earn it. Who had his trust? Nic? Yeah right, only on his life, not on his pocket. His employers? Even worse. He could do their bidding and they would still treat him like trash. Me? Nah, he hardly knew me yet. Who could he trust? He was only sure of one...  
"I will always be with you, I promise...  
...My Felix."  
What did it matter now... she was gone... right?  
  
Nack spent a few seconds reminiscing on those things. "Just a bad experience a few years back." Nack answered to the sheriff.  
"I see," he said simply. "This 'Titan' truly is a twisted person. The woman he had killed was indeed perfectly innocent. The reason why he killed her was because of her lover who was in close ties with the syndicate. Opium smuggling; one day he slipped up and crashed a handoff, sending 6 of Marcus' men to jail." The man sat back in his seat and stroked his beard again. "Yet he didn't want Joey dead. He wanted to make sure that Joey would live and learn the hard way, so he took away the one that meant the most to him."  
This surprised Nack. Nack had never imagined that even Titan at his cruelest would do such a thing. But he found it very believable.  
"It's not the first time he's done it." The sheriff continued. "But I would like this to be the last time. Fang, I'm aware of your 'skills' just as anyone else who needs you." With that the man handed Nack a folder with a few papers in it. The first thing he saw on the first page... 'Profile No. 084-267-01: Marcus Anderson' He skimmed the rest of the papers. Descriptions (though there were no pictures), lists of crimes, and other miscellaneous information...  
Nack looked up to the sheriff with a devious smile. "So," Nack started in a prideful tone, "You finally need me. How ironic... Two weeks ago you wouldn't have hesitated to put me in the morgue if you had the chance, but now you want me to do a hunt? Forget it." The weasel slapped the folder down on the table. This was quite a strategy that he quickly threw together... it would make or break this deal.  
"C'mon Fang." Yes, it worked. "What's it worth to you? I got it, $300,000! How does that sound?"  
"Sounds flat." Nack spat out. "Tune it up some... $400,000."  
Sheriff frowned. "Maybe I want to tune it down a few steps... $250,000."  
Nack growled. He had been in this situation before and he never came out on top when the price was cold hard cash. "Deal," he managed to say through grit teeth. The weasel picked up the folder and started for the door.  
"Well, what'll it be?" The man questioned.  
Nack stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. "What do y' mean?"  
"Didn't you read the paper? He's wanted dead or alive now. What'll it be?" He said in an amused tone.  
Nack turned and smiled again. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to pick up an extra body bag on the way out."  
  
Welcome to South San Francisco. Nack did the research that was needed with the papers given to him. What he learned was that Titan had strong ties to a small corporation centered in the industrial city: H6. What was even more interesting was that there were 'official rumors' going around that the H6 was a simple front for all of Marcus' business. It must have been convenient for the gangster that way... H6 had kept up a nearly spotless record with the police until a few months ago when a drug bust was performed by the police in one of the H6's smaller factories in NYC. Turns out that authorities also wanted Nack to verify these rumors. Great, if he knew that in the first place he would have made sure to get more cash...  
Nack sat in his jetbike with the tinted windows up, looking at the H6 industrial complex. It looked quite tricky to get in. The place had fence all around it except for the area where the occasional truck would enter. That would have to be the ticket, but it was guarded. That wasn't saying much; there were guards patroling the entire perimeter. The hunter sat back and watched the patterns in their patrol. It took about half an hour, but he managed to get it down. There was a short break where no one would be in front for a good ninety seconds... he would have to make the best of that.  
Nack stepped out of the bike into the cold fog. The wind blew at him, getting him slightly damp. "Shoulda stayed in Texas," he chattered lowly to himself. But if anything, this fog would help him. The guards' visibility had to be cut down some bit by it.  
  
"Excuse me," he spoke out to the lone guard at the barricade. "Do you have a light?" he asked as coolly as possible, pointing to a cigarette on his lips.  
The guard walked forward in a bored fashion. "Eh, sure... now where did I put it?"  
"It's a dirty little habit," Nack's voice laughed as the guard searched himself.  
The guard laughed lightly back. "Yeah, but it's worth it... ah..." the guard pulled the lighter out of his jacket and turned to light the cigarette, but when he looked up, he only saw one aggressive weasel with a gun pointed at his head.  
"You can say that again." The sound of the crackling electricity filled the air as the stunner fired. The guard twitched on his feet for a few seconds before falling over limp. Nack quickly grabbed the man and pulled him into his booth, tying him hand and foot with the cords from a nearby computer's mouse and keyboard cables. "Enjoy," Nack said with a fangy smile as he threw the pack of cigs next to the knocked-out man.  
Now for the fun part... crossing a 100 or so foot space between the small booth and the entrance to the complex. Lying low, he waited for the patrols to go by and out of sight again, then made a break for it. Easy really, a few seconds and he was past the double glass doors and inside the place. It looked like some sort of waiting room; no one seemed to be in it though. He pulled out his stunner again as he began a silent walk across the room.  
A monitor lit the darkened room on the other side of the complex, and in that monitor a purple weasel with a nasty fang and cowboy hat was slinking across a room. "Let him wander around for a bit... then deal with him... but I want him alive," a light voice behind the screen spoke.  
"Yes sir!" A pair of foxes said in unison.  
Nack slowly cracked open the door at the end of the room. His spying eyes saw what appeared to be a small secretary's office. The secretary sat behind the desk, typing something, while a group of three men stood yapping next to a coffee pot. This was no job for his stunner... He reached into his bag and slipped a gasmask over his face. Then he pulled out his newest weapon... time for a test.  
The door was opened just enough. He pulled the pin out of the hand- sized cylinder and tossed it to the middle of the room. A few seconds passed and no one seemed to notice. Then, with an audible "pop", the grenade blew apart and instantly filled the room with a dense mist. There was the noise of the people coughing, then silence. The latest in knockout gas technology worked wonders.  
Nack looked around the room to find 2 doors. He opened one to find that it was a simple janitor's closet, but the other lead to a long hallway. There didn't appear to be any patrols, so he chose to walk down it. When he reached the end, the door opened to the wonderful fog of the bay area again. A number of large warehouse-like buildings were there, so Nack went to the closest one to see what he could find.  
It was a small building, but it seemed big enough for it's purpose. It seemed that the H6 complex had its own prison. Dark, damp, and quiet are good ways to describe it. Nack slowly walked down the hall, looking... listening. He came to a sharp corner and placed his back to one of the cell doors to keep anyone further down from seeing him. By slowly peaking around the corner, he saw a lone guard about fifty-five feet away. Before Nack could give any thought to what he would do, a small gasp of surprise came from behind him, followed by a whispered "Nack!"  
The weasel turned around and looked through the barred door to see the figure of another weasel with long, flowing, dark hair standing there. "Andre? What in the world are ya doing here?"  
"The Red Radishes Nack... They got something horrible planned for me, I don't know what... You gotta get me outta here! Help me!" Nack could tell that he was trying to keep quiet, trying to keep from crying, but he was panicking, he was making too much noise.  
"Andre! Shh!" Nack replied firmly but quietly. But the poor weasel continued rambling with incredible nervousness.  
"What's going on back there?" A gruff voice came, followed by footsteps.  
"Andre, please! Be quiet! I'll get you out of here!" Nack tried calming the weasel, though it didn't do a lot. The footsteps were coming closer...  
A few seconds later, Andre was confronted by the jailer. "You again..." He started, taking out his keys and opening the door. "I'll teach you to be quiet!"  
Nack hung by his tail from a beam near the ceiling until then. Nack dropped down behind the jailer who was inches from Andre now, about to beat him. Nack had different plans however and put the jailer in a headlock, cutting off his blood supply. He struggled for a few seconds, but then went limp. "C'mon!" Nack said to Andre. But the other weasel didn't budge. Nack sighed, "When are y'gonna get it? I ain't gonna hurt you!"  
Nack picked the keys out of the jailer's hands and walked back to the corridor. "I could lock the both of you if you want." That threat finally goaded Andre out of the cell, though he kept his nervous eyes on Nack the whole time. Nack closed the door and locked the guy in. "Now..." he started, grabbing Andre by his jacket and pinning him against the wall to keep him from running. "You said something about the Red Radishes?"  
The Whipped Cream Avenger didn't put up much of a fight, not that he could anyways. "They brought me here... I swear they have plans to off me this time!" So, Titan was in contact with the RRs, was he? That didn't come as a shock. Neither did Andre's fright. Nack knew that the RRs had a thing against Andre; he even watched as the poor guy almost died from a brutal assault back in San Francisco a while back. Also the fact that ever since Nack's little incident out over the Pacific Ocean, Andre thought that Nack was some sort of ghost or something. Nack figured that if he were in Andre's shoes, he would probably be panicking also.  
"I didn't come here to save you," Nack began, releasing his grip on the shivering weasel. "You should get out of here though. Head strait through the front entrance and you should be fine. And if worse turns to worse..." Nack handed Andre his stunner.  
"Nack, I... thanks, for the breakout." Andre finally cracked a small smile.  
"Say 'Hi' to Rocky for me, would ya?" Nack smiled back. "You should get going while you have the chance... the security shouldn't be too much of a problem right now so long as you try staying out of sight."  
With that, Andre nodded and turned to the exit. Within a minute, Nack was also outside, P99 in hand. If the Red Radishes truly were involved in all this, he would need the extra firepower. Another building caught his attention... its roof seemed translucent. Nack slowly entered... the sound of some sort of heating device could be heard and it was doing a good job; the air inside was significantly warmer than outside. But why?  
He only had to take a few steps in to find out why the heat was so important. Before him lay row after row of coca plant. Highly illegal, it was a double blessing to the syndicate. Sure they could cultivate the beans and export the chocolate, but the true "treasure" lay in the plants' leafs... Cocaine. This would be all the proof needed for another drug-bust. Nack began picking a few beans and leafs off of some of the plants... perfect evidence for later. Suddenly something stuck out to Nack... A soda can-sized cylinder came bouncing his way. He had only to shoot a glance at it to tell what it was. He ducked into a ball, covering his ears and eyes until he felt the shockwave of the FB grenade pass over his back. He stood back up, unphased for the most part, gun in hand. From the same direction as the grenade had come, a fox was rushing at him with a pistol of sorts in his paws. Nack took aim at the fox, but right as he was about to fire, another set of paws, grabbed him from behind, sending the shot through the greenhouse's roof.  
With a bit of effort, Nack broke the grip and turned to see yet another fox willing to fight, though he dropped the pistol in the process. Nack put a hard punch into the canine's jaw, sending him flying backwards. Nack turned to see the first fox again, about to take a shot. Nack ducked to avoid being hit and tackled his opponent. Before the fox could get up, Nack gave a hard stomp to his arm, causing him to drop the gun in a yelp of pain. Nack picked up the gun and fired a shot into the downed fox's chest. But there was no sound of a gunshot, no recoil, but rather a small dart launched itself out of the barrel of the gun.  
Nack turned back to fire at the other fox. As he did so, a small, almost unnoticeable prick was felt in Nack's neck. Nack tried to fire again, but it seemed that each dart had to be loaded individually. So he ran forward, ready to fight again... but suddenly the room seemed a lot hotter than it was a minute ago. He got two feet away from the snickering fox and tried to put out another big punch, but the result I can't even call a light jab to the fox's chest. The fox simply put a hand on Nack's shoulder and gave him a push, sending him to the ground where he passed out.  
He awoke some time later... He couldn't tell how long it had been and neither was he able to recall the exact moment he came to, but he was in a room by himself, sitting in a metal chair. He tried to stand, but built-in shackles on the chair's arms bound his arms. He moaned as he felt the drug- induced headache set in. What was gonna happen to him?  
It was several minutes before anything happened after that. The door on the other side of the room opened and in came the two foxes, this time dressed in tuxes. "Ah, I see you have finally come to," The one on the left started with the hint of a Russian accent.  
"Let me go!" Nack snarled, fighting against the bonds at his wrists. It was then that he noticed that his hat, holster, and gloves had been taken from him... Made sense.  
"Ah, no no Mr. Weasel... you must not get too physical or the drug will give you a terrible headache!" The other fox laughed.  
The first fox held up a syringe filled with a clear liquid. "But I think this drug will have much more agreeable results for the whole of us."  
Nack struggled in vain as the fox walked over to him. The needle was inserted in his upper-arm and the full injection was given. It was only a matter of seconds before Nack simply sat there, jaw hanging open.  
"Ah, you seem to like it," one of the foxes said calmly, though Nack couldn't tell which one it was... Everything was getting blurry and the voices seemed to echo in his head. He couldn't tell what the drug was, but whatever it was, it was inducing a strong euphoria. Nack had no choice but to let it do its stuff...  
After what seemed like a few minutes in the artificial bliss, Nack noticed that the two were asking him some kind of questions... and he felt that he was willfully answering them. The drug was getting to his head, blurring his judgment. He couldn't remember what questions he was being asked, but all he knew was that he was answering each and every one. Soon he began to hear what sounded like laughter.... They were laughing at him... at his responses?  
"Stop laughing, it's not funny! I was scared... sad..." Nack was finally able to understand what he was saying, but still unable to recall anything else. Not only that, but he began to cry uncontrollably... probably an effect of the drug.  
"It's wearing off... give him half a dose, will you?" That was all Nack was able to make out of their speech from there. He received another injection which brought him back into euphoria... but lost track of anything else happening from there on out.  
The next thing he knew, he was laying face up on a cot in a dark place. He wasn't bound any more apparently, so he tried to sit up. He groaned, as his head simply did not agree with the attempt. 'Might as well sleep the rest of the drugs off...' Nack figured, conking out again.  
He couldn't tell when he came to again, but he hadn't moved anywhere. This time he felt somewhat refreshed. He picked himself up and looked around. He was back in the jail it seemed. "Hello?" he asked into the darkness, walking to the door and grabbing two of the bars that blocked its small window. A few seconds passed in silence, followed by a deafening clang right in front of his face.  
"You're lucky the boss told me I can't open the doors anymore," the jailer yelled, pointing a nightstick at him. "Otherwise I would come in there and beat ya to a bloody pulp for what you did!" With that he began walking down the hallway.  
Nack walked back to the window. Did Andre make it out all right? "Andre? Andre?" Nack called out into the darkness again.  
"Shut the hell up!" The jailer's nightstick came flying from an angle at the door and came inches from smashing Nack's fingers. With a grumble, the guy walked back down the corridor and picked up his club.  
"Just be glad I didn't kill you when I had the chance," Nack said out to the jailer as he walked past.  
"Oh... oh really? Then I am supposed to be glad that the boss isn't paying me for another week because of the stunt you pulled?" The jailer was inches from the door and was shaking the stick at Nack's face.  
"I can tell you don't like him... why don't you just skip out and find a job you'd like better?" Nack suggested. Anything to get that idiot from raving any more.  
"Oh!" The jailer turned around and flung his arms into the air, then turned back around and put his hands on his hips. "Oh now that just proves that you weasels have a great sense of humor or that you really are the stupidest creatures on earth! Do you have any idea what sort of terrible things would happen if I went against him?"  
"Whatever," Nack sighed, turning back to his cot and lying down on it again. "Then you just go back to your post and keep at that job you do oh- so well."  
At a loss for words, the jailer let out a roar in rage and stormed back off down the corridor. 'Good riddance,' Nack thought to himself and closed his eyes to get some sleep. Whatever was going to happen, Nack couldn't avoid, and it wasn't going to be good... but he would survive. He knew that much.  
He couldn't tell how many days or nights he was locked up in that cell... there was no sign of sun or moon from the interior of the jail. At least they managed to feed him, though it wasn't a lot; a small bowl of some kind of broth every now and then, but it kept him from going starving.  
Nack figured that it was a week that had passed before anything truly interesting happened. He woke up to hear his door being unlocked by some keys, and when he saw the door open, the jailer greeted him. "You, come." he commanded simply. Nack slowly got up and walked through the door way, planning on making a break for it right then. But that didn't happen as several arms held him fast from the sides. He turned to see his foxy friends keeping him locked up.  
"You have an appointment with the Titan now." Nack didn't like the sound of that.  
Nack was marched through the jail and to a warehouse on the other side of the complex. The pair of foxes threw him into a dark room and locked the door behind him. Judging from what he could see, he was on a small catwalk overlooking whatever else was in the building. All lights were on him, and he couldn't see anything else in the void. "Welcome, Nack..." A too familiar voice came from the darkness.  
A few more lights turned on, revealing a catwalk across the room. And on that catwalk stood that pig, the Titan, Marcus Anderson... also someone whom he had never seen before but he carried a similar appearance to Marcus. But Nack didn't care at the time; all he knew was that he had the "privilege" of being one of the few people to see that swine's face. It was a cold face with a single, chilling abnormality... a deep scar in the perfect shape of a "T". He also wore a full suit, but Nack knew that no matter how well you washed and clothed him; a pig would always be a pig.  
"It has been years Mr. Weasel," his emotionless voice came again. "I am glad to see that you haven't lost any of your spunk since we last meet."  
"I'm glad to see that you haven't lost any of your weight since we last meet," Nack said with a certain tone of disrespect.  
Titan only laughed. "Glibness is one of the things that comes with age as you may have found out; however when used improperly it can only be declared as foolishness.  
"What do you want?" Nack asked sternly to the Titan.  
Marcus answered in a laughing tone. "I see that you haven't forgot that there is nothing as important as the objective, Mr. Weasel. But before we get there, I would like you to meet my son, James."  
The pig at Marcus' side smiled in a way that showed a shade of hatred to Nack. "It's good to see that you have a successor in your job... if you can call this a job." Nack replied.  
"I do," Marcus replied simply. "Maybe if you had joined us you could have seen why I think it is this way; you would have been one of my best paid men. But unfortunately for the both of us, you are a 'freelance hunter.' But James more than fills your position; though he is young, he is already very successful as he already became the official leader of the Red Radishes."  
It all made sense then. "So that's why you had Andre holed up here."  
"Precisely," James finally said, his voice fully saturated with glutinous pride.  
"It's a shame that you had to set him free Nack, we had quite a swift and painless death in store for him." Marcus' emotionless voice was really chilling Nack to the bone now.  
"What do you want?" Nack repeated.  
"I never figured that you were much of a conversationalist Mr. Weasel. However, I am perfectly willing to cut to the chase of this meeting. Tell me Nack, would you like to know what you told my right-hand men in the interrogation room several nights ago?"  
"Will I enjoy the answer?"  
"No."  
"Well, you have my answer right there Titan," Nack spat out.  
"How many more years until you realize that I never take 'no' for an answer?"  
"Very well," Nack resigned.  
"Tell me Nack, do you remember a certain night a few years ago at the Deerborn Inn and Tavern?"  
"I don't know what you are talking about." Nack said, trying to keep calm. 'No! No Nack! You didn't! You wouldn't have told them that!'  
"You must have had a lot of interesting nights at that bar for you not to be able to pick out a single one experience. Let me help jar your memory... it was Karaoke night. You were tired and decided to take a little nap at your table... Is it all coming back to you now?"  
"What are you getting at?" Nack asked, sweating bullets.  
"Mr. Weasel, I present you with your nightmare come true." Titan hit a button and a series of lights on the ceiling flashed on, lighting the area between the two catwalks.  
Nack looked down onto the floor and nearly passed out. There, the two foxes stood with pistols held at arms length... And at the point of each barrel were two figures, white, shining like the purest of snow... bound hand and foot, kneeling towards the lavender weasel several feet above them.  
"NO!" Nack cried out. "Let them go!"  
"I'm afraid you've got a choice Nack... A chance to chose which one truly meant the most to you. What will it be?"  
Nack sat up against the wall, fighting back the flood of tears. Calia Pembroke and Crystal Ka... He remembered that night so well...  
  
It was only a dream... only a dream then.  
"No!" Nack yelled at the top of his lungs as he watched the two girls crossing the street and heard the sound of the squealing tires on the roadway. He couldn't be there for them both... He had time to save one, just one, only one...  
He ran... He dived... He chose. Calia was pushed clear of the roadway by Nack's flying tackle... But...  
"NO!" Nack yelled again as he tried to save Crystal, but he would be far too late. The car slammed into her, sending her flying. He held her still form they're in the dark night, crying for help, screaming for someone, begging her not to leave him.  
"So... so that's your choice?" Crystal said, trying to smile, blood covering her face and arms... She wiped some of it on Nack's face, and it burned his heart as if it were he who was hit by the car.  
"Crystal... You... You'll be alright..." Those words were lies and Nack knew it as his tears ran. He held her beautiful head and ran his fingers through her hair in an attempt to comfort her somehow... ease her pain... give her strength...  
"No, it's ok Nack... You made your choice... I have no regrets... but I'll always love you...."  
"I love you too Crys..." Nack sobbed.  
Then she died there, in Nack's arms...  
  
It was only a dream then... but now it truly was his worst nightmare come true. He would always remember how hard that choice was and that was when no one was truly hurt...  
Nack stood up after a long time. "Titan, you are a bastard."  
"You have all the time in the world to chose this time Nack... who will you chose?"  
"Nack..." A voice came from below. He looked down...  
"Nack," Calia repeated. "I don't know what's going on, but... I can tell that you need to chose between the two of us... for love... for the future..." She paused and let a tear drop. "I can't get the courage to say it... to say why... but you can't let her die because of me."  
"Don't say that!" Nack said. "There is no way I could chose between you two! No way I could hurt you."  
"If you knew..." She paused and looked him in the eyes. "We can't be together."  
"Calia, please..." Nack didn't want to feel this pain...  
"Nack..." Crystal was talking... "This is your chance, right?"  
"What?" Nack questioned.  
"This is your chance to get revenge, right?" She couldn't keep eye contact with him. "Remember what you said to me that day at the digging site?"  
"Crystal, please... I never meant..." He thought about that day now...  
  
She ran up and wrapped her arms around him. "Nack! You came back!"  
"Don't give me any of that hugging garbage!" Nack threw her hands off of him.  
"But Nack!" she replied in shock, trying to hug him again.  
"No, I know what you did..."  
"What? I don't know..."  
"Don't play dumb," Nack began is a harsh, cold tone. "Nic remembers it all too well."  
Suddenly she knew that her little stunt in the temple was a terrible mistake.  
"Why, Crystal Ka?" Nack's tone reflected his pain. "Why would you try to kill Nic like that? I truly thought you loved me..."  
"I do... Nack!" Crystal said in a panicked tone.  
"What kind of sick show of love was that then?"  
"Please Nack... Just let me explain..."  
"Explain what, you witch!" He turned to leave, but Crystal grabbed his arm.  
"She wouldn't have died Nack! I wouldn't have let her! I just wanted to know what you would do if someone you loved... if they were..."  
"You wanted to know how I would feel? Psycho-torture? How could anyone even think about that?"  
"No Nack! I never meant to hurt you! I just wanted to know... if I were with you and I were in the same situation... what you would do..."  
"So Nic was your perfect little guinea pig? Sickening... I thought you were sweet, caring... but this shows that you have one twisted little mind!"  
"Nack! I didn't mean to do any harm!" She held him closer than before, only to be thrown back again.  
"Really?!" Nack was trying to keep from striking her now. "How do you think Nic and I felt? She was never so close to death... And I thought she was gone just like that!" he added with a snap of his fingers.  
"Please Nack!" she was crying now. "I do love you! You must trust that this is true!"  
"Trust? YOU? I gave you that chance!" Nack softened his tone. "You betrayed it though... you betrayed me. My trust is something that must be earned.... It isn't something I just give out. I simply doubt you will ever get it again." He turned and began walking again.  
"Don't go Nack!" She cried. "Not like this..."  
  
Nack wished he had his hat to hide his eyes behind now. He did mean it... And now, for the first time he noticed what pains those words inflicted on him. "Crystal... I can't just let this happen.... I regret what I said..."  
"Like I regret what I did!" she cried up to him. "But I know now... you can't love me. I can see..." she paused to choke back tears. "I can see you love her... This is your chance... I'm ready to pay for the pain I put you and Nic through...  
"Nack, no." Calia said in response to this. "If you chose me over her today.... you will be sorry... I don't want that for you... please, listen to me..."  
Nack put his hands to his face and breathed deep. "I... I can't chose either of you..."  
"Oh, so you would like to have both of them killed Mr. Weasel?" Titan asked.  
"No you fat fool! I want them both to live!" Just then an idea flashed through his mind. "How bout we make a deal, Titan?" Nack requested in a clear, calm tone. It was the only choice...  
"You are in no position to bargain."  
"Hear me out!" Nack almost yelled, slamming a clenched fist on the railing of the catwalk. "All those years ago... you made me an offer...  
"Hmm? And what was that 'offer?'"  
"You wanted to know if I would come work for your organization."  
"Hmm... Yes, I remember that... Too bad it was in the past."  
"If you let them both go safely, I will come work for you... only for you." Nack emphasized those last three words.  
"And why would I do that?" Nack could tell that he was taking the bait.  
"Look at it... which is worth more, a dead girl or a new worker? And you shouldn't be surprised that I am much more skilled now that I was a decade ago."  
Marcus ran his hand across his chin. "You drive a hard bargain Mr. Weasel... however it is one that reflects that with your youth, out went your foolishness. I will accept it." Nack nearly jumped for joy at that... The hardest choice of his life he wouldn't have to make now. Marcus pointed to the two foxes below: "Take them to the jail sector and leave them there until further orders come... I will release them later tonight."  
"They must not be harmed in any way... or the deal is off," Nack said in a firm manner to the other catwalk.  
"Very well... you heard him, remove their bonds," Marcus instructed to the foxes.  
"Yes sir!" The two said in unison, cutting the ropes that held them fast. Nack could only watch as they exited through the door at ground level. Now he was alone with Marcus and James.  
"Mr. Weasel... before you can work for me directly, I want to make sure that you truly are devoted to our causes. I want to see you go through a test mission which I will give my son the honor of choosing."  
"Thank you, father." The pig then turned to Nack. "You have close contact to the Whipped Cream Avengers, do you not?"  
"If you can call it that." Nack already did not like where this was going.  
"Well, then you are perfect for the job. Let's cut to the chase; I want you to take one of them down." He dropped a clenched fist on the railing of the catwalk to emphasize his point.  
Nack grit his teeth at that idea. He wasn't crazy about his cousin's little gang, but he didn't want to hurt them... too late now. "Do you have anyone in mind?" Nack asked.  
"We were going to kill Andre a few days ago, but since you released him, he seems to have gone into hiding, and I doubt that it will be soon before he surfaces again. I do not want to wait for that opportunity now. But I do wish to send a message to them by taking out their newest member: Tanya, AKA Thorn."  
Nack thought about that. He was never crazy about that girl... but offing her wouldn't be easy. "Very well," Nack sighed.  
"You must do it in public," Titan added. "We must be able to easily confirm that it was you who kill her."  
Now that was very against Nack's ways. When he killed someone he made sure to do it as quietly and privately as possible, but here he was being asked to do the exact opposite. But again, he had no choice right? "Fine."  
"Good. Also, do not try to contact either of those girls until you pull this mission off." Nack knew that Titan didn't want things to go any way but his. "You may go now. I will contact you after you finish this first job." The door behind him opened and Nack turned to leave. "Be sure to visit the jail sector to pick up your stuff," Titan's voice came again.  
Nack turned and left the building and soon found his way to the prison. Word must have spread quickly through the complex because a very cheerful looking jailer was waiting for him. "Good day Mr. Weasel! Is there something I can help you with?"  
Nack gave him a weird look and then guessed that he had already achieved a higher status than this old kook. "I was sent here to collect my stuff."  
"Ah yes, your stuff... I have it here somewhere..." The jailer began searching a locker and returned with a belt, hat, and two gloves.  
"Thanks," Nack said dully, placing them back on their respectful positions.  
"Have a nice day!" the jailer yelled at Nack as he walked down the corridor to the exit. Suddenly he heard a small cry to his left. He turned and looked in the cell to see Crystal's face. A shift of movement could be heard behind him and he turned to see the distraught face of Calia behind the bars. Torn between two women he loved...  
"I'm sorry I ever got you two involved," Nack said softly, looking back down the hall.  
"No talking to the prisoners!" The jailer shouted at Nack in a not-so friendly manner.  
Within a few minutes, Nack found him outside the complex again at his untouched jetbike. His cellphone was the first thing that caught his eye. "One new message" flashed on the screen. "Priority: High." He sighed, that was all he needed right then, more stress.  
He pressed the button to hear the message. "Hey, Nack?" my voice came. "How's everything going? Listen... I don't know where you are, but give me a call when you get this, ok? My number is..." Wouldn't you like to know? I bet.  
He sighed again and slowly dialed my number into the phone. "Hello?" I asked through the receiver.  
"Hey, Nick. It's me, Nack"  
"Nack! How have you been? whatcha been up to?"  
"Well, same old... bountyhunting and the like..."  
"That's good," I interrupted. "Listen, where are you?"  
"South San Francisco, why?"  
"South San Francisco? What are you doing there? Well... doesn't matter. You aren't far off, I was wondering if you could come over here..."  
"Sure," Nack replied. With that I gave him my address (again, this is classified info) and a single direction on how to get there, namely "South",  
Aren't jetbikes just the greatest invention? What would have been a good 35-minute drive by road, Nack flew by and arrived in 8 minutes flat. "Ah, Nack!" I greeted as he approached. "Welcome to my humble abode!"  
"If this is what you call humble," Nack started, "Then I'm a hermit."  
  
I laughed as he approached. "It's not as big as it looks... come on in."  
As he stepped in the door, it was then that he got a first clear look at my masked raccoon face. "So that's the bike Eggman fixed up for you?" I asked, pointing to the bike parked in front of the house. "It looks nice... no wonder they call you Jet."  
He laughed at that as I closed the door behind us and led the way to the kitchen. He sat down at the table while I raided the fridge. "So, how's life been these past few months, Master?"  
Again he laughed. "You are the first person to call me that... Course I only told Nic 'bout it and she would never stoop that low to say that to me."  
"Makes sense," I replied, pouring myself a small glass of Root Beer. "What would you like to drink? Root Beer?"  
"Sure," he answered, and I returned to him with his cup.  
"So tell me... How's your bounty hunting been going?"  
He sighed. "Just got back from the H6 building."  
"H6? I heard some bad stuff about that place... Big crime organization, right?"  
He nodded. "The police sent me there to do some stuff, but I got captured."  
"What?" I interrupted. "Well, that ain't kewl..."  
"Yeah... wait till you hear what happened..."  
"Stop," I interrupted again. "Your hat, if I may..."  
He looked at me suspiciously, then slowly handed his hat over to me. I reached in and felt around. After a while of fishing, I pulled my hand out with a small metallic cube between my thumb and index. I dropped it on the floor and crushed it beneath my heel. "Can't be to careful with baddies like that," I said, picking up the pieces of the small bug and handing back his hat. "Listen... I have a problem... Could you do a small mission for me?"  
"I'll see what I can do," He said flatly.  
"Excellent." I stood up and started pacing... small habit of mine. "It was 5 days ago today... The first and only day I ever went about without some kind of weapon to defend myself with. And it was that day that a group of people broke in this very house. They took my girlfriend away."  
"Girlfriend? I could have sworn you were gay!" Nack said humorously.  
I shot a dull glance at him, then pulled out a pistol and pointed it at his head. "The last person who assumed that found himself lacking working kneecaps less than a minute later. I really don't want to repeat that process."  
"All right... sorry I said anything," Nack replied, sitting back and pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes.  
I slowly put the pistol away and continued my pace. "I could do nothing but watch. They came here, grabbed her, threw her in a car, and were off. I would like you to find her and get revenge for whatever they did to her... I doubt you will object..."  
"These women will be the end of us," Nack said plainly as he though back to what happened earlier that day.  
"I... I don't know how you will react when I tell you the details... Your stunner, if I may," I reached out with my hand.  
He looked me over for a few seconds. "If it makes you feel more secure..." With that he handed it over and I placed it on the top of the tall fridge.  
Then I drew in a deep breath. "Her name is... is Calia Pembroke."  
His jaw dropped then and he could hardly speak. "What... did you say?"  
I leaned with my back against the wall and put my hand to my forehead. "I know it comes as a shock to you... I'm so sorry Nack.  
"It was early February 2016 when we first meet at Lake Tahoe. There was a ski lift accident... a fire started at the booth that controlled the lift. Power was quickly lost and people could tell that it was only a matter of time before the cable gave in to the heat. I was below the ski lift and there was a lone woman stuck in her seat. She was to high to jump and too far from the polls to climb down.  
"So I climbed up and used my hands to climb the cable to her seat. I told her to hold on to me, and she did so as I climbed back to the poll and climbed down to safety. It was then that she told me her name... Calia... I was enchanted by it... by her beauty... and she felt that I was her life savior ever since that day.  
"It wasn't until recently that I learned that she had known you before me... I'm sorry Nack..."  
"So that's what she meant," Nack said slowly. "That's why she said we couldn't be together..."  
"What?" I asked, totally oblivious to what had happened earlier that day. Then he spelled it out to me... what happened at the cafe which lead him to the mission, how he was captured, about the girls, and about his new employer. "Nack, I am so sorry... and at the same time so grateful to you... for saving her life..."  
Before he could respond, the doorbell rang. I walked out of the room and opened it. "Thank God you're alright," Was all that Nack could hear, followed by several seconds of silence.  
Then I appeared back at the doorway to the kitchen. "Calia... There is someone here... I think you would like a few moments alone with him.  
Calia walked in the kitchen, but before she took even two steps, when she saw Nack, she let out a small gasp. "Calia..." Nack started softly, shaking his head. "I thought you loved me..."  
"I do Nack," She replied, taking a seat next to him. "I knew that if you found out about Nick and me.... I knew it would hurt you forever... That's why I didn't want you to chose me back at that... place."  
"Calia, don't say that... I would never let you just die... Even if I knew that... That we couldn't be together..." Those last words came hard to the weasel.  
"Nack, I'm so sorry..." She said, holding back tears. "It's just... what he did at the slopes, how he saved me... I just feel that we were meant to be together. I felt loved, cared for... Nack... I'm sorry for what I did..."  
"No," Nack started, regaining eye contact with her. "It's ok, you made your choice, and I have no regrets... I will always love you though..."  
She slowly nodded and took his hand. "We'll always be good friends... that's all that matters now."  
Nack softly placed his other hand on top of hers and managed to smile. "Yeah."  
Suddenly I burst into the room. "Nack, I just spoke with the authorities... we should be getting a call from Thorn soon..." I let out a small, evilish smile. "I have a plan..."  
  
A few days passed. Rambo and his girl Thorn, having just creamed a building, were walking down the crowded streets of San Francisco. "Boy, I wish we could see the looks on their faces when they find that mess!" Rambo said joyfully.  
"You did a good job Rambo!" Thorn complemented, throwing her arm around his shoulder.  
"You weren't bad your self," Rambo replied, wrapping his arm around her back.  
"Alright you two, freeze!" A voice shouted over the city's noises. The crowd around the two weasels parted with a disturbed murmur revealing a third weasel with a cowboy hat and a large rifle.  
"Nack! What are you doing?!" Rambo yelled when he saw Nack pointing the rifle in their direction. Nack answered this question by pulling the trigger...  
Rocky jumped out of the way as he thought the bullet was meant for him. Unharmed, he looked up to see Thorn standing there, paw covered in blood, along with her tiger-patterned top. "Thorn... NO!" he yelled, about to rush to her side, but another deafening shot rang out, and Thorn fell flat on her back with an "oof".  
Rambo knelt at her side, tears in his eyes, looking at the still form of his girl. "Someone... get help! We need help! An ambulance or something!" Then he turned to look at Nack who stood there with the rifle at his side, smiling evilly. "You... I'll get you for this! You will die!"  
"You can thank the Red Radishes for what I did." With that Nack turned and ran away.  
Rambo turned back to Thorn. "You'll be ok... remember... we're Whipped Cream Avengers! No one can put us down that easily..." But she didn't move. A few minutes later, and ambulance arrived and pulled the weasel in, Rambo following. As the Ambulance sped off, Rambo found himself holding her arm, shaking her slightly. "C'mon Thorn... show me you're still there! Say something... Anything!"  
Thorn's eyes suddenly shot open and she sat up strait. "Argh... that hurt... good thing he's Fang the Sniper..."  
Rambo simply looked at her, dumbstruck. She then removed out from under her top a small piece of armor with blood packets attached. "Wha'?" Rambo babbled as he saw her do so.  
"Sorry honey, I gotta spend a few days at the Police Station... for my protection. We'll explain it all to you when we get there, ok?"  
  
Nack sat back as the scene played on the screen, followed by the faces of Marcus and James. "A job well done Mr. Weasel. I feel that you are ready to work for me now."  
"Yes sir..." Nack said in a somewhat prideful tone, as if the 'assassination' was a work of beautiful art.  
"Now... I need your help in a different assignment. Several years ago you helped me smuggle diamonds into my organization... but now I need you to do the same with a different material. I want to smuggle some opiates over the Mexican border. You are to head to San Diego where our contact will make the exchange with you. When you receive the goods, contact me." Then the screen went black. Nice convo, eh?  
  
Nack knew that Titan was a man who pressed for speed in operations. It was less than a day later that Nack found himself in San Diego, sitting in his room at the Motel 6, watching some random shows that were on TV. Titan didn't tell Nack where to look for the contact or even who the person was, but Nack knew that it would only be a matter of time before he got found. And boy it didn't take long at all...  
A series of small knocks sent Nack to his door. He opened it to see a little old lady standing there with a nice cheerful smile. "Hello Mr. Weasel!" she greeted happily.  
"Do I.. know you?" Nack followed up.  
"Ah, of course you know me! I brought you your favorite cookies!" She held up a large suitcase. "Would you like to see?"  
She cracked the case open to reveal bag after bag of narcotics hidden inside, all neatly labeled and organized. "Oh, thank you!" Nack returned the smile and took the first case in, then a second, third... then fourth.  
"Well, that's all I have! Do be sure to share them with dear little Marcus, he wouldn't know what to do if he couldn't have his cookies!" Then in a softer tone: "And if you get caught with them, you're on your own!"  
  
Another day passed and Nack was already back in town, using my video communications to contact Titan. "So your mission was a success Mr. Weasel?"  
"Yes sir, I have four suitcases full of the 'goods.'"  
"Excellent. Do you now see how much better things are in my business than when you were on your own?"  
"Yes sir. I was a fool not to accept your invitation the first time," Nack replied humbly.  
"Good. Tomorrow, first floor of the B' of A' building in San Francisco, 2 PM. Bring the goods and we will exchange the goods there." The screen went blank.  
"Well Nack," I said walking into the room, cocking a neo-Tommy gun I got from the police. "Ready to bring the bad guy down Chicago style?"  
He grinned as I handed him a second gun. "Oh yeah...  
  
Nack sat in his jetbike outside the B' of A; building... 1:57 Pm... Always good to be early. He had the tinted windows pulled up and felt the gun he held in his hand. He was ready to finally get revenge on that pig...  
A limo pulled up in front of the weasel's bike. Two suited guys stepped out and looked around through sets of shades. Nack couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but he could tell that one of them said "All clear, sir."  
Titan came out of the door, followed by two more bodyguards. Nack was glad that Marcus had a thing for the big exchanges. He always had to be there to see it out and make sure he wasn't getting ripped-off. He watched as they slowly made their way up stairs to the building... Half way between the car, halfway between the building... "Time for revenge..." Nack growled lowly as he slowly pulled down his window and carefully aimed the gun.  
"Look out sir!" One of the bodyguards must have had eyes in the back of his head, cause he pushed Marcus out of the way at the instant that Nack fired. The shots brought down two of the guards, but left the fleeing pig unharmed. I stepped out from behind a decorative little statue and fired upon the remaining guards. Nack was quick to jump after the Titan, and I quickly took aim too. Our shots whizzed about the fleeing pig... and then he fell.  
Nack slowly approached the wounded pig while I rushed and took over the Limo. Sirens echoed through the streets as police car after police car came to back us up. "You see Titan," Nack started, standing over Marcus. "I'm still a freelance hunter."  
"And you are still a fool... " Marcus laughed at him for a few seconds, then went limp, finally dead.  
  
It was late night, December the twenty-fourth. Nack sat alone in his room at the Moonraker hotel, ready to spend his Christmas the way he usually did every year; alone. He didn't care; he figured a bountyhunter's life shouldn't be much different than his. Maybe he would spend some time this holiday at one of the local churches or bars.... something to give him a taste of a social life.  
That wasn't his main concern right now. The police had their evidence and quickly brought the H6 organization down. Nack did his job and took out the head of the corrupt syndicate. All he was waiting for was his pay. "Soon," he was told. "Soon we'll get you your money... We just need to work out some minor details." Well it had been several weeks now and he still didn't have his 250 G's yet. What could possibly take them so long?  
Then there was Calia. I never meant to hurt the poor guy; I just fell in love like he did. I know what it's like to lose someone you love... I went over 2000 years without my love. Nack figured, not for the first time, that maybe he shouldn't love. Didn't that make sense? His job was so dangerous in so many ways...  
Nack sat on the foot of his bed and watched TV. Everyone seemed so happy about the holiday; why couldn't he be that way? It had been so long since he felt lasting happiness. Closing his eyes, he began reminiscing on the first eight years of his life. There were good times and bad times... he was loved and hated... He was with his mother and father... And Nic was a bit on both sides, though he was glad he had her.  
He didn't get much thinking time before his cellphone suddenly rang. He grabbed it, opened it up, and put it to the side of his head. "'ello?"  
"Hey Nack," my voice came. "Listen, why don't you head over to my place?"  
"Well, sure. Why though? Are ya okay? You sound a bit... wasted."  
There was a long pause. "Hey, I'm fine!" I replied in a reassuring tone. "Just having a lil' Christmas get-together. Calia's here... and I even managed to get Nic here for ya! No better way to spend the holidays than with friends and family, right?"  
Nack laughed a bit. "Well sure, I don't see why not. Thanks for the invite!"  
Another pause. "Yeah, well, hurry on over... before the eggnog goes bad or something, k?" Then the connection broke.  
Nack folded the phone back up and threw it on his bed. Without much of a second thought, he walked out through the lobby, and got his jetbike started to my place.  
He knocked on my door. No answer, but the door creaked open under his touch. "Hello?" He spoke into the darkness of the house, looking for someone to answer him. "Nick? Nic?" (or maybe the other way around...) "Calia? Helloooooo..." He walked into the dark kitchen and looked around. Through the sliding glass door he could see some form of light outside. Cautiously he opened the door and looked down the side of the house. There I sat in a lawn chair.  
"Ah Nack... good to see you," I said plainly, waving him to come on over. He did so... but when he stepped into the area, which revealed the rest of the yard, he saw the dire circumstances we were in.  
On the deck that overlooked the small overgrown valley behind it knelt Nic, and behind her stood a familiar pig in a suit. Before he had the time to react, a pair of arms grabbed and locked him in place. He knew those arms... that fox was on him again. Turning his head to the left, he saw the second hiding in the darkness behind me, with a shotgun held to my head. "Mr. Weasel," James greeted. "Glad you could make it."  
"What? What's this about?" Nack growled, struggling against the arms that held him fast.  
"I think you know." Rage burned in the voice of the pig. "You killed my father."  
"It's a shame YOU weren't there too..." Nack snarled, only to receive a hard smack to the back of his head, sending him to the floor.  
"As a result, I lost my position with the Radishes!"  
Nack slowly picked himself up, only to be kicked back down, out into the open. The fox came over with another shotgun and pointed it to the weasel's head. "I wanted to make sure that you paid in full for what you did," James' voice came again. "First, you will watch your sister die... just like I lost my father, you are losing the rest of your family." With that he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at the silent weasel's head. Nack couldn't see much from his vantage point, but he could make out tears streaming down her face. "Next, you will watch your little friend here die. I believe he deserves it just as much as you, he thought up all you did to us, did he not?"  
"Nack," I started. "I am so sorry I betrayed you like that over the phone... I had no choice." Then I felt the dual barrels of the shotgun press against the back of my neck... a signal for me to shut up. Something on the rooftop caught my eye... but I didn't call attention to it.  
"But... where's Calia?" Nack asked, looking around.  
"She ran," James said with disgust. "That's why we must be quick with this, before she gets help." Then he turned his attention back to Nic as the fox by Nack picked him up and held him from looking away. "Any last words?"  
I don't think that those three words made good last words myself... but they would have to do then. Suddenly, before all those standing there, James sported a new orifice on the side of his head and fell over, totally limp.  
"SIR?!?!" both foxes yelled out in unison. I took the opportunity to grab the barrel of the shotgun at my head and wrench it away from the hostage-taker. I slapped him across the face with the butt of the gun as if it were a baseball bat. As he lay there dazed on the floor, I unloaded the dual cartridges into his torso.  
At the same time as I escaped certain death, Nack tried breaking the grip the other fox had on him. The struggle didn't last long, as the hostage-taker slumped to the ground. Nack looked to see that he had a similar wound to the head. Almost instinctively Nack looked to my rooftop. A dark form was quickly moving away down to the front of the house. Nack smiled lightly... someone cared for them.  
"Are you ok?" Nack asked to the two of us standing there.  
"Yeah, just a bit shaken up," Nic answered, rubbing her neck nervously.  
"I'm more than fine," I said, standing with the shotgun at ease.  
"So who was that?" Nack asked, pointing at the rooftop.  
"I don't know," I replied. "Maybe it was Calia, but I didn't know she was much of a marksman like that. Now... about that eggnog." Then I looked across my yard. "Eh... maybe I should call the cops first..."  
"Good idea," Nic concurred. With that we turned to go inside.  
I was about to flip on a light when something disturbing caught my eyes. Something... someone was standing in the doorway that connected the foyer to the kitchen... The sniper fully clothed in black from head to tow with a set of nightvision goggles glaring at us.  
"Calia?" I asked. No response... not even a twitch.  
"Who are you?" Nack then asked.  
Then the sniper's muffled, female voice came. "Merry Christmas, Nack." With that she dropped the gun with a loud clash as it hit the floor. Nack and I twitched as if we felt it's pain... It was a very nice looking weapon after all.  
Then she held up a small card. Nack squinted to see what it was, but it was too far away and too dark. She suddenly flicked it in our direction. It landed a few feet in front of her. Then she fell on her knees, face in hands, as if she were crying...  
Nack slowly approached the sniper. He didn't know who she was. "Who are you?" he repeated. No answer... just a small sob. Nack bent down and picked the card up, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. He stood up and slowly brought the card to eyelevel...  
Nack had only to give it a glance before he dropped his arm at his side and looked back at the sniper's curled form, jaw hanging wide open, just the way it did when he first saw that same card all those years ago. The question was no longer "Who," but "Why..."  
  
Who is the sniper? You will have to be one sharp Nack fan to know... But if you can't get it, just wait! Chapter 5 is coming and everything will be revealed then! I know I have you on the edge of your seat... I do that on purpose ya know ^^. Please contact me if you liked this... or even if you hated it, it's good to know someone read it. e-mail is nbyrd@almaheights.org AIM is wlbyrd YIM is frwlgcxl MSN is nbyrd@almaheights.org ADDITIONAL CREDITS: Two fics were used in this. I recommend that you read the Nack based fics which you can find at Weasel World: "Suspended in Time", and "Revelations". The text from the fics were modified with permission from the authors of both fics. To be continued! Next chapter... Whispers of Love and Hate 


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